#Fᴏʟʟᴏᴡɪɴɢ Mʏ OWN Fᴀᴛᴇ (IC)

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He outstretches a long yawn, one that echoes throughout his home as he leaves the bedroom, looking a little tired, but feeling completely invigorated. He didn't know how long exactly he slept for, but it was definitely worth it, as he felt more rested than usual.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Maaaaan what a good sleep! I slept like the dead!." Rubbing his grey eyes, he takes his phone off the charger, unlocking it, his eyes widen a bit as he looks at the date on his phone:

Thursday January 18th 2024

It takes him a few minutes, but after he finally processes what exactly happened, it's not hard to tell what exactly had happened, and he couldn't even believe it, but after restarting his phone, he found that it indeed was the correct date. Putting the phone on his computer desk, he scratches the back of his head.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Wait! No way! Did I seriously sleep all the way past new year? Just how tired was I?" Confusion sets in, but it doesn't last very long, as it soon turns into a smile.

[{ 🦋 }} - "Phew, boy am I glad I booked the first three weeks of January off. Best sleep ever! Buuut I should probably make a post on twitter, before I become the next death hoax."

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Minato listened to her elaborate more on how he family always had her stay with other relatives of the royal family whenever she was out of her country. As she further explained, it definitely added up. His ears did perk a bit when she mentioned that there were some instances of her staying at a hotel whenever she was in a location where none of her family or other relatives had homes, cottages, or cabins -- definitely something he much preferred since it not only gave them more freedom to spend time together, but he also didn't need to worry about her security team watching their every move like a hawk carefully observing its prey - not an ideal feeling to have when on a date, and hardly romantic too.

Grey eyes noticed Sonia staring blankly into her teacup for a few seconds, further proving to Minato that there was indeed something on her mind, Still, he'd hold out on bringing it up for now, they were about to leave soon, and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin the lighthearted mood right before he was going to show her around. Taking another bit of his piece of dorayaki, he listened to speak, whilst silently chewing.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Very agreeable. I gotta say, it's nice to actually be able to spend time with you, and not have to worry about being watched by your personal security crew. Those dudes have seen me with you a lot already, and they still look at me like I can't be trusted. It's really nice to get a break from all that. Especially in the case of a private onsen."

Minato joins her in the short laughter of her reaction to his playful statement, considering how her family was, he could only imagine what they would think of her if Sonia were to have some psychic potential, still, it was a funny thing to think about.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Haha, I could see that. Yeah, I remember you telling me how they were regarding your hobbies. I guess it's sort of a good thing that you're not part psychic then. Still fun to imagine though. It's because he knew his mother, so naturally, he was the right person to look after the kid. Sadly, he's the only old friend still here, everyone else is busy, but I still talk to Ken from time to time."

During his young adulthood, it had taken Minato a bit to adjust to his new life in the limelight, as they often called it, The paranormal investigator didn't expect his show to blow up so much, he honestly had his doubts about it the moment they filmed the first ever episode, which was in the form of an hour and forty-five-minute movie, so more like a reality documentary.

He could still remember it like it was yesterday, he and his crew had investigated the Round Schoolhouse, a very well-known paranormal hotspot located In the northern reaches of Japan the nation’s second-largest island, Hokkaido. In the rural town of Bibai. Nothing could have possibly prepared the trio for all the paranormal activity they would encounter.

The three went inside and left that creepy location completely changed men, from the experiences they had there, as well as their unexpected skyrocket to fame. Even now, it was still hard to believe that he was now on his fourth season of the show, moving on to season five very soon. The television network he was a part of recently renewed them for seven more seasons, It was like a dream come true, but even dreams came with their share of challenges and struggles, the privacy of his personal life being the number one thing that was heavily impacted by his sudden rise to fame.

His two other co-investigators Takashi and Zero had their own respective amount of fans. They were just more respectable to them since they knew that both of them already had partners, Zero with his high school sweetheart Tokoto. While Takashi had a wife named Reiko with two kids, so fans and fangirls alike understandably respected their privacy.

Unfortunately for Minato, his relationship with Sonia had been strictly private, and kept out of the public eye for obvious reasons, but since that was the case, to the multitudes of crazy and obsessive fangirls, as far as they knew, in their eyes Minato was still single and there for the taking -- one of the many reasons why he hoped their relationship would finally be revealed to the public sometime soon, so it would finally show those fangirls that he was in fact taken, and had been for a while now, and so he could finally show the world who his lover was, but of course, since she was of royal descent, it made that very difficult, but after this long, he was starting to lose hope that it would ever come to light, and as painful as it was, he kept going along with it out of respect for his girlfriend and her social status.

Minato knew very well what he was getting himself into when he admitted his feelings, but even with all the secrecy, he still very much loved her and cared for her. That's why, even after all this time, he was still willing to keep it that way, despite his wish that they would just publicly admit their relationship. Why did her family have to be so anti-paranormal? Then again, they were aristocrats, so it was more than likely seen as something extremely stupid and fake in their eyes.

As Sonia moved onto the topic of her school, Minato stuffed the rest of his dorayaki in his mouth and chewed quietly as he listened on, picking up his teacup and taking a rather large sip to wash it down as he swallowed. With his snack and tea finished he set the cup down on the table, and returned his full attention to Sonia.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Talents huh? Sounds like the school you went to is very different from any other school I've heard of. That's pretty neat though, I guess there are all kinds of different schools out there. Hmm. Well, we didn't do everything seen in anime. Though we did attend festivals, and did take a summer vacation to a beach. It was an island called Yakushima, just north of here. And I do remember going to see some movies with a few of my friends, just individually, I think it was during the Golden Week movie marathon."

Sonia's enthusiasm for things was something that never failed to make Minato look on in awe, she was just so cute whenever her beautiful blue eyes would light up with excitement. Her lighthearted joke about his haunts without ghosts earned her a chuckle from the blue-scarved paranormal investigator.

When she asks if he's ready to go, he gives a smile and a nod, he couldn't wait to show her around, the only downside was that Minato would have to make sure he kept the mental note of regularly checking the time, but not too often to draw suspicion. The discreet warning from Kikuno still lingered in the back of his mind: Be careful at night, Mistress Mitsuru has said there's been some Shadow activity here, have your evoker ready.

It was Minato's turn to stare into space for a second. As he began to ponder what exactly this meant, there was also one major concern, if shadows were back, did that also mean the Dark Hour was back too? Whatever the reason for these shadows appearing, it wasn't a good one.

Grey eyes quickly blink back into reality. While he was only spacing out for about a single minute, it felt like more like twenty. As soon as he came back from space, his eyes were quick to again meet her gaze with a smile, somehow, despite being in thought, he still managed to catch her question.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Hm? Oh, yeah I'm good. We can head out. Man, I can't wait to show you around. I think I'll show you my old high school first, but that means, we'll have to take the train. Or if you're not comfortable with that, I can always either rent a car or call Kikuno to pick us up again. What do you think?" The fool eagerly replies as he rises up to his feet from the chair. He figured he'd ask her first, even if they were guaranteed their privacy, both from his fans and her family's security. The fact remains that the two of them were very noticeable public figures.

Since she was little, Sonia had understood something of what it meant to keep up appearances, to maintain a look. Whether it was meant as something palatable to the people one served or simply something chosen for personal satisfaction, everyone had their own aesthetic. Minato was no different, but what made Sonia smile from her seated place at the low table was how his style seemed in sharp contrast to the person he was. With Gundham Tanaka, it had made sense: her high school boyfriend had been both brooding and engulfed in a fantastical sort of darkness that made him appear larger than life (to Sonia) and deranged (to pretty much everyone else). But his preference for black, grey, and purple was understandable: he fashioned himself then as the Supreme Overlord of Ice and his look reflected it, despite the warm and tender heart he possessed beneath.

But with Minato, and his closet and interior decor all in shades of black and blue, it didn't correlate. Yes, he'd made a career of being a paranormal investigator known around the world, but unlike Gundham he was full of smiles. Of bright and cheerful conversations, of laughter. He explored the dark and the misunderstood, but that wasn't who Minato Arisato was. It was entirely possible that for appearances' sake, he simply liked the colors, and even though she couldn't imagine him in anything else, they still seemed to mask the kindness and light within.

"It is common among the aristocracy, as far as I am aware," She nodded. Even if it wasn't the most comfortable of topics to discuss, Sonia supposed there was no time like the present to explain to Minato some of the customs of her life. At least it would give reason to why even the most mundane parts of a hotel (a check-in desk, for example) entertained her. "When traveling, especially within one's country, it is the custom to utilize the visit as a reason to see other aristocrats and enjoy their properties. A holdover, I think, from the days before luxury hotels and resorts: my family does stay at those, particularly in places where we do not have friends with, ah, adequate homes." Or rather, homes without the space for the traveling staff and security that came with members of the Royal Family, and residences that were deemed comfortable enough for the likes of royalty.

"But you might find such preferences agreeable!" She interjected with a smile, hoping he wasn't ruminating on how much such services could cost. Even if the traveling party wasn't paying for it, the home and property owners were with an uptick of temporary staff, food, entertainment, and more that needed to be coordinated for a visit. "Many ancestral homes, in Novoselic and across Europe, are often rumored to be haunted due to ancestors and others perishing on the property. I am sure that some of them have been investigated, too."

It dawned on her as she poured herself a cup of tea that bringing up haunted estates at home would, most likely, only prompt her boyfriend to share his desire to visit. Sonia exhaled as she wrapped her hands around the cup, a welcome balm to the chilly autumn breeze that blew in off the ocean. Surely he too must have noticed by now that she had yet to invite him home formally, properly: even without a public announcement that she was no longer unattached and had not been for some time, Sonia had still eschewed a private meeting of her family. For a holiday, or some other event where only the immediate members were invited: not that she hadn't wanted to, she thought as she waited for the drink to cool down enough to comfortably sip. But because her requests to do so had been denied: without speaking even one word to Minato Arisato, the Royal Family had refused to send an invitation. His curious lack of parentage could be explained away, if that had been the only objection: but it was his career, his fame, that had been the point of contention.

Acting in a well-received horror and suspense film was one thing, but truly believing there were ghosts and trying to contact them was quite another. And several episodes of Paranormal Quest and a sweep of Minato's media appearances and digital presence had been enough for them to believe he was not quite Grace Kelly-quality. Even Meghan Markle had moved from a 'tacky game show' to a 'scripted drama,' according to Queen Valentina. Minato Arisato was a scandal waiting to happen.

It only occurred to Sonia that she was staring into her teacup with a frown when he had chimed in, his clothes having been fully put away. "Oh! Y-yes, I did," Sonia piped up with an embarrassed smile, taking a sip of her tea before continuing. "Anything to avoid scandal is generally acted upon, and being caught in the nude was not a risk my family was willing to take, even if it was acting according to the culture of the country, in an onsen. But a private onsen for a room is acceptable, so my security was willing to stand down some for this holiday."

Besides, homemade dorayaki and meals from regional ingredients, the calm simplicity, and the aforementioned private outdoor bath couldn't be found in a Western-style hotel regardless. It encouraged her to slow down and enjoy the little time she had away from being a Princess and suspected her boyfriend rather felt the same where Paranormal Quest was concerned. "Hah! It would be yet another quality to alarm my family if I was," Sonia laughed between bites of her half of the red bean-filled pancake. "No, my hobbies alone perturb them enough: adding psychic capabilities may be too much to contend with. But that is wonderful that you still have friends who reside here, and your friend is admirable for taking him in. I cannot imagine many teenagers who would be willing to do so."

"At my school," She continued, finishing the rest of the dorayaki half on her plate. Not only were there likely plenty of local eateries to try, but Sonia knew Minato would polish off the rest of the welcome snack and would likely proclaim he was still hungry afterwards. A predictable situation she found to be comforting now, she thought as she drained her teacup. "We were so busy with our selected talents that looking after siblings, even, was often impossible, much less adopted children or pets unless that was part of a talent. It took great effort on the part of my homeroom teacher to unite us as a class, as friends, and we did not do too much of what I always saw in anime: visits to the karaoke, the film theaters, the shopping plazas and amusement parks. Is that how you and your friends spent your time in high school? Oh, I am so eager to see your 'haunts,' so to speak! Though without the ghosts I suppose: if you are now refreshed, shall we depart to explore them?"

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[{ 🦋 }] - “Anyone know if it’s possible to get a restraining order against a group? Asking for a friend.”

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[{ 🦋 }] - "Maaaan. I've been so busy. I think this is the busiest start to the new season of my show I've had in a long time. It feels great, but kinda tiring. I think I'd better book Valentine's Day off too, especially the day after."

Minato looks over at a brand new shelf he just ordered, he finished building it up earlier and now it is ready for use. It was very tall just barely stopping before his ceiling and had at least over sixty shelves and several little side compartments, the thing was expensive and had taken him about seven hours to put together piece by piece.

[{ 🦋 }] - "With this new master snack shelf, I'm gonna be able to buy SO MUCH discounted Valentine's Day chocolate... among others, a few extra snacks anyway."

He wore the biggest grin as he began to picture this shelf stacked full of his favorite snacks and candies of all kinds from around the world during his travels for work, and the little compartments be perfect for the more smaller sized snacks, he'd be able to put so much on here he was practically drooling at what he was imagining. A few seconds after, he finally snaps out of his trance, quickly wiping his mouth.

[{ 🦋 }] - "I'll be like Willy Wonka, except instead of making candy and chocolate, I EAT it." He adds with a smile, he felt like a little kid in a candy store.

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Casually and carefully pokes head out of several shrubs, taking a thorough check of his surroundings before proceeding

[{ 🦋 }] - “I think those girls are finally gone..” The bluenette breathes a sigh of relief, he begins to relax himself a bit, several hours hiding in a collection of shrubs, this was going to be a long month.

[{ 🦋 }] - “..Running from fangirls is great cardio, but man, I’m exhausted..”

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As she provides just a little bit more context about her friend Mioda, it starts to become apparent that he has in fact heard of her before, she recalled hearing something about an artist from a school band leaving her group for differences in creativity, the more he thought about it, the more he remembered. He found it pretty interesting that Mikan was friends with a popular musical artist, he assumed she must have gone to some sort of private school if it had students with notoriety like that.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Oh! Now I remember. Ibuki Mioda formerly from.. I think they were called, Black Cherry? I'm not sure if that's correct, but yeah I know who you're talking about now. It's pretty neat that you went to school with her."

He nods as she goes into her song that hit the top of the music charts, as Mikan explained, Minato had to admit, he found it pretty cute when she used the word 'charts' with a question after it, she was dangerously adorable with her wording sometimes.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Yeah, I think I know which song you're talking about. I've heard it on the radio in my car often."

Moving onto the topic of inviting her along for a trip to South Korea sometime, there was something in the way her eyes lit up at the mention of it, combined with that bright smile of hers that caused him to smile in return. Even if this was just the first date, the thought of having her along with him for a trip to a country she had a connection to her origins. Minato had never really met anyone who was part Korean before, so he was very interested in finding out more about her.

[{ 🦋 }] - "In that case, I'll make sure I let you know a couple weeks ahead of the trip so you have some time to check you're schedule. I'll be wrapping up filming of my fifth season in a month, so once that's done, I'll probably start deciding on a day for it."

He adds with a smile. Minato was pretty sure they would have a decent number of dates in the books by then, whenever it would come a time for that trip, they would be close enough to have a vacation together, the thought of it all excited him.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Society isn't the same, and has changed over the years, so not everyone in this world has good in their heart, so it's important to be strong, no matter what. I can't imagine all of the things you've had to go through, but you're strong because you're still here, and that's what's important."

Minato laments. It wasn't too hard to get the idea that Mikan must have had a hard life, he didn't know the full details, but it spoke volumes in her very timid personality. It made him even more grateful to be sitting here across from her like this.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Haha, thanks. But you're not wrong. When it comes to evil spirits and malevolent forces, especially when dealing with demonic entities, any faint display of weakness will be used against you, it's happened a few times in some investigations. They usually like to target our youngest investigator, Zero since he's very insecure about some things, he's also scared very easily which doesn't help in that regard. So us paranormal investigators don't really have much of a choice, we have to be strong-willed because once an entity has a chokehold around your fears or shaken will, it is extremely difficult to make them let go of their target."

He explains, appreciative of her compliment, but also decided to provide a bit of detail on the subject. On the topic of another date. Minato couldn't agree with her any more than he already did. This whole time during their conversation, Minato could feel something genuine forming between them. Mikan was the first person he had dated in a long time. The fact that the conversation was already going so well even before their food, was definite proof that there was a strong bond starting to form, so more dates with her were an immediate yes.

[{ 🦋 }] - "We really do. You know, this is the first date I've gone on in years. Food isn't even here yet, and I'm already having such a blast. So I want to know a lot more about you too."

He agrees with another smile. Moments later, the chef returns with their food and serves them their plates, before bowing and walking back into the double doors of the kitchen.

"Y-Yeah! Mioda used to be in an band b-but they broke up in high-school. They had a couple of singles that actually ch-charted on the music uhm... charts? But when she w-went solo she stuck m-mainly to indie m-music. But she's pretty popular!" Mikan explained. "She's got one s-song that's b-been playing on the radio recently!"

Mikan lit up at his mention of letting her tag along on his next trip to Seoul. "R-Really? I'd h-have to make sure I can take the time off from the c-clinic... and I won't be in classes, but other than that, I'd love to!" She replied enthusiastically.

She flushed pink at his compliments. They weren't even drinking much and she felt drunk off the attention he was giving her. She'd been so nervous to actually accept, yet here she was having a great time. Why was she always so anxious about these things? She needed to let loose a little more. Maybe Minato was the guy to help her do that.

"Th-thank you.. I've never been called st-strong before. Considering your line of work, I think you'd have to be pretty strong too. So I r-really admire that about you, too."

You don't need to bring him home with you tonight. She told herself. It's just the first date. Get to know him a little better first this time!

"W-We just have a lot in common," she explained. "I d-don't think I've ever met anyone like you b-before. So I'm eager to learn more about you."

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Random Dialogue Sentence Meme || No Longer Accepting

@chibitantei sent: “How can you stand this place?”

Now this was a place he never imagined he'd be staring at again, never in a million years did he think he would find himself back here in the Yamanashi Prefecture, a part of Japan that was home to one of the most haunted outdoor locations -- a location that he was all too familiar with. Aokigahara Forest, otherwise known as the Suicide Forest, it was a dark location that was full of Paranormal Activity as well as unexplainable phenomena. Minato was originally here to do an interview on his experience inside there for a local magazine company that talked about things involving the Paranormal. The interview lasted just over an hour before he finished.

Minato was about to leave, when he received a call, checking his phone he saw it had been none other than Naoto who heard Minato was nearby. Apparently, there was a little girl who went chasing after her red ball that had bounced into the forest, this little girl hadn't been seen in about twenty-four hours, and because it was the forest that she had gone into, many others were skeptical on going in there to search besides a few local police officers who never came back out. Someone had apparently contacted her in hopes she would be able to find the girl, because of Minato's experience navigating the forest, she was asking for his assistance in going in the forest with her trusting that he knew the correct paths, and he did.

Understanding the dire situation, Minato agreed and postponed the next thing he had planned, a podcast appearance in Hokkaido, and they didn't mind once he had relayed to them what his reason was for postponing. With everything taken care of, Minato went to meet up with the detective at the entrance of the forest. With a wave, he approached her.

[{ 🦋 }} - "Hey Shirogane, been a while, a shame we're not meeting under better circumstances, but I came as soon as I got your call."

Minato planned to return here one day to investigate again, as for right now, he'd put his main focus on trying to locate this girl, even with his familiarity with this dark and dreary place, finding the girl wouldn't be an easy task, but with the two of them working together, he had a feeling they'd be able to find her and bring her back safe.

[{ 🦋 }] - "So, we're looking for thirteen-year-old Haruka Seiko right?, went reported missing yesterday around five-forty-seven pm." He read the report just to confirm, once that she confirmed it with him, he nodded.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Okay, one thing you should know about the forest, is that it has a very unnatural and eerie atmosphere. With its dark history, we're bound to encounter some of the spirits inhabiting this forest, and they will try and confuse us, and throw us off our path, so if you think we're going around in a circle, we'll need to stop an asses our directions, anyway, are you ready?"

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Thread Continuation from here: X || @belovedblossoms

💘 - Yukari

Returning to the dorm after her own archery club, from earlier, Yukari had thought it would be best to take a little break for the rest of the day. And for her to be the only one in the main room, at least there was some peace and quiet until any others would return home too. She then heard the front door click open, seeing it was Minato coming in first as she waved to him with a smile. "Oh, Minato-kun, welcome back." Although at his request to invite her to join him at this horror movie marathon, Yukari's blood ran cold as her face grew pale. "H...horror marathon...?" her voice squeaked, "W-why would you want me to go?" Considering her strong fear of ghosts and most things terrifying, one would think Minato wouldn't even as her in the first place. Well, she isn't as terrified of them as she used to be, but still! Yet, perhaps it was the courteous thing to do? Maybe this could be another way for her to be a little more brave by watching these things. And even the little additional comment to be there when she would be scared was a little reassuring through teasing. And it was working--making the student bring some life back to her cheeks with a blush. Maybe...it couldn't be totally bad?

"Umm...I guess if it's just you it couldn't be so bad. But don't you scare me while we're there or I'll leave you there in the theater!" she pointed at him, a serious look on her face until she then sighed and got up from the couch. "I know I'll be losing my voice by the end of the night. What movies are they showing?"

[{ 🦋 }] - "Wait, Really? You will? Alright, Cool."

Minato was pleasantly surprised to hear her accept, he wasn't really expecting her to take him up on the offer, the fact being that it was back-to-back horror especially thought would turn her away. So when she agreed, suddenly, he had another date with her. What started out to be a fun little gesture, ended up turning into a full-on date. Minato liked spending time with her, so he was pretty excited to have her come along with him. The bluenette had no problem going to watch it alone, it would also be more of a much better experience with good company too, so he didn't mind it.

Come to think of it, this would be the first date of theirs they had in a while, both were so busy with Tartarus, and school club-related activities as well, so he was pretty glad to have another excuse to take her out again. Living in a dorm with everyone else on SEES made quality time together tough, so Minato would jump at any extra chance he got to be alone with Yukari again, away from everyone else, free to enjoy nothing but the activity and each other.

Needless to say, this probably wouldn't be a very fun experience for the lover's archer, still, he was just glad she had agreed in general. Because of Yukari's weak nerves about anything horror related, It was safe to say that this would probably be a one-time thing with her, and that would be just fine with him, just getting a yes from her at all wasn't something he thought would happen. One thing was for sure, Minato was going to enjoy this date while it lasted.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Hm? Oh. Nah don't worry. I don't need to scare you, the movies will do that just fine." He playfully, boldly reassures. A short chuckle follows her initial reaction before moving on.

[{ 🦋 }] - "They are showing three movies today. Paranormal Activity, Ju-On: The Grudge, and then it finishes off with One Missed Call. Our train is in ten minutes. If we leave in five, we should make it."

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[{ 🦋 }] - "First it was crabs, now it's frogs?"

Silence follows as he glares at the button above

[{ 🦋 }] - "Why can't there be a 'click for demons' button instead?"

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Minato knew that horror movies weren't exactly Fuuka's forte, but since it was the month of October, how could someone, not watch a scary movie? Of course, he wouldn't plan on taking her to see a lot of horror flicks for her own comfort, so even Fuuka just joining him for one was already more than enough for him, especially a film in the Exorcist franchise, a seemingly better one. Despite it being his first time watching this new movie, there was one thing he knew for sure, however this one would turn out to be, it would easily be better than the other failed sequels within the franchise.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Yeah, that's true. A major plot isn't something people care about in horror movies. Well, some do but not a lot. For me, if the plot sets things up nicely and provides at least, decent context, then I do appreciate it. The last horror movie I saw that had a good plot background was M3gan."

She definitely had a point. Plots aren't usually something that is focused on too much in most horror movies, but Minato on the other hand, enjoyed it when there was a good plot. It didn't need to be a thorough plot setup since that might have taken too much time, so for the most part, he could watch one without a plot, things just might not make a lot of sense in those cases, but at least the horror scenes usually made up for it.

A soft chuckle as she mentions that she would need a lot more convincing to join him for a horror film when they were both still students in high school. Yeah, he could definitely see that, Fuuka was a bit of a different person now compared to how she was back then, they were both different people in those days.

[{ 🦋 }] - "I can definitely see that. Back then, you wouldn't even go near a theater with a horror movie playing, not as easily anyway. Of course, I'm still more than happy to give you more regardless." Minato playfully adds as she takes his hand while the couple reminisces for a few moments about old times.

It was a different world when they were still in high school, now, after all these years, things changed, society changed, and everyone is a different person now. Even in the present, Minato would always remember the struggles he and the others faced together, how they all united and became the best people he knew in life. It wasn't just the group as a whole either.

Minato also remembered the struggles that he and Fuuka's relationship faced thanks to his carelessness. Thankfully, the both of them came out of it all, much stronger, and closer than ever before, he would be eternally grateful for Fuuka taking him back, life had never been better ever since they rekindled and moved back in together. Tonight would be the first horror movie they had seen as a couple in a little while, so however the movie would be, he was just happy to be there, having another movie date with the love of his life.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Ooooo, she's got a real snack craving tonight." He lightly teases. Fuuka never usually had too much at the movie theater, so hearing her specific craving was a surprise, but she definitely had good taste.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Sure thing. I'm a movie club member too, so we'll get discounted food and popcorn combos." He chuckles in approval, Minato wasn't sure what he wanted yet, but he would more than likely choose once they were there. For Minato, it was just easier to see all the options they had in person. Minato sets up the first exorcist movie so they can recap what happened in the story of the first one.

[{ 🦋 }] - "You bet. All the seats recline in the theater. The one that doesn't have them is the theater that plays movies that leave normal theaters after their original theater runtime." He answers as he sits down on the couch, waiting for her to join him as he gets comfortable.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Since the first hour is just slow, story building, we can probably skip the first half since we know how it happens, all we really need to recap is the possession itself so we can see what core elements they keep in Believer." He explains, curious to see if the new one would have any similarities or throwbacks like Halloween 2018 did.

They had three hours, and Minato didn't feel like wasting the first hour by watching story building that they were well aware of already, it seemed a little pointless rewatching the whole movie in its entirety when only the last hour mattered the most.

Just seeing Minato light up the moment she agreed to seeing the movie was the best feeling! Granted, Minato was easy to please and easy to make happy no matter what she did, but the twinkle in his eye really was the icing on the cake. So, even if she might get a nightmare tonight, Minato would be right there--holding her hand and cuddling up with her all night long.

Fuuka smiled, knowing this was a win-win situation for her.

"At least I don't have to spend time watching the earlier movies and trying to play catch up with you. Besides, I don't think many people watch scary movies for the plot." Fuuka stated, recalling something Minato, or perhaps it was Junpei?, said when they were in high school. "If you asked me years ago to go do this, you'd have to really give me more than just cuddles and kisses and hand holding."

Fuuka knew she would have wanted more since she was so much more shier and newer to horror stuff as a teenager. Never would she thought she'd be more comfortable to the stuff Minato did now. Then again, wouldn't taking shadows in the Dark Hour still be mysterious and a little horrifying? The kiss on her hand from her lover brought her mind back to reality, smiling earnestly and blushing lightly.

"I also want some snacks, too. Pretzel bites with nacho cheese--and a big bag of popcorn." Fuuka gripped his hand in return, softly, as she knew she didn't want to waste a lot of money at the movie theater. "Though, did we get the movie theater that has the reclining seats? Because those are the best when you are watching a horror movie."

[dxfiedfxte]

Yet another thread relocation because this editor breaks too damn much lately T_T || @tacitusauxilium

✦✦✦~ Fuuka

“…I…lost Juno.” Fuuka whispered hoarsely, her eyes squinting in fear of Akihiko getting ready to yell at her. She clasped her hands together, trying to feel for her. She made sure Akihiko couldn’t get a word in as she continued speaking. “M-minato saved my life and it cost me my Persona. Minato’s shadow attacked me–through the chest–” Her hands shot to her chest, wincing in pain as she could feel the pain and lowered her eyes. “–a-and I can’t sense no one anymore! I-I can’t sense if anyone is in pain, if anyone is lost–I-I don’t want to be removed from the Shadow Operatives!” 

Akihiko listened to Fuuka’s woes; he was surprised that Juno seemed to have disappeared from Fuuka’s mind–heck, he didn’t know how Personas work but that they appeared. He quietly thought, and feared, that maybe the shadow that formed from Minato stole her Persona? He had never heard of it happening before–at least Mitsuru was getting the full story from Minato at this moment. Akihiko put a hand on top of Fuuka’s head and shook his head. “You won’t be removed–I’ll be sure of that. Fuuka, you’ve done so much for everyone then and now. I know Juno will come back to you. And if I am wrong, I’ll be sure to stop traveling the world and focus on college.”

Fuuka sniffed her nose, feeling a tickle of a laugh wanting to escape, but it stayed inside of her chest–she only nodded to his promise. Fuuka wouldn’t know how to act like a normal adult–go to college, become a doctor to satisfy her parents goals, and watch her lover have the freedom she couldn’t? She mentally shook the thought from her mind as Akihiko moved to reach for her water and snack and handed it to her. “…thank you.” Was all Fuuka could say as she clenched them closer to her chest.

Akihiko nodded and lowered his hand from the top of her head. “Come on. Let’s go back to the room–I’m sure Minato and Mitsuru want to talk to you and see you. Besides that, you need a bed to sleep in. Wouldn’t want Minato to get jealous of me carrying you to bed, right?” He joked, noticing that Fuuka didn’t really react quickly to the joke, and felt his heart twinging in sadness at how badly she was. Fuuka nodded slowly and felt Akihiko’s hand on her back, guiding her back to Minato’s room while feeling like an empty shell of a person. She was there physically but her mind was somewhere far away.

As he greeted her, the redhead kept her expression serious, but slightly gentle. While this was a serious discussion, it was still good to see him again, despite the bandaged and healing wounds, still in decent health. There was a lot to talk about, so Mitsuru would get right to the point of her visit and get Minato's full account of what happened, and what led up to him being in a hospital bed and recovering from a successful surgery, She had gotten the brief description of it, but she would need the full report, to better help assess what happened and what would possibly come next.

Booted heels click on the ground as she makes her way towards a chair by his bedside so she can listen. Besides, she was sure that this would be a bit of a long talk, so she figured she might as well sit down as they go over the event that had brought them here in full detail.

[{ ♕ }] - "As expected, you seem to be recovering relatively well. I'm glad. Unfortunately, I don't have enough time for a more adequate visit, so I'll get right to the discussion at hand. For now, let's start with when this shadow appeared, and what led up to the confrontation."

It was a bit of a shame that this wasn't a normal visit, Mitsuru had become a very close friend of his from their circle of friends, and everyone held a special place in parts of his heart, but Mitsuru wasn't just a close friend, she was also a mentor to him as well, she even went out of her way to ensure that the graves of his parents were being well-maintained and cared for to continue to respectfully honor their memory and that to Minato, meant so much. So, he wanted to give her all the details he could to help her further her investigation into the matter.

Taking a deep breath, Minato sat up a bit, albeit slowly given that he was still very early into the healing process. Closing his eyes, he begins to think, projecting the scene of everything that happened clearly in the back of his mind, grey-colored hues open, and he begins to explain, playing back the experience like a movie on a big auditorium screen.

[{ 🦋 }] - "I had just gotten back from a podcast, and Fuuka wasn't at the house, so I got worried. Only to get a picture text from her phone, but it wasn't Fuuka, it was the shadow... my shadow." One short pause as he revealed to her the identity of the aforementioned shadow that had been responsible for the state Minato was currently in.

[{ ♕ }] - "Your shadow? And you're sure it wasn't just taking your form? If this really was your shadow, then this may be more serious than I had originally anticipated." Minato's expression remains serious as he says nothing. The expression he wore was more than enough to tell her that he was serious.

[{ ♕ }] - "I see...please continue." She adds, convinced by the look on his face, she continues to listen to the rest of the recollection of what happened.

[{ 🦋 }] - "The text was a message, telling me to meet him at a specific location and it had a picture attached to it, a picture of Fuuka tied up, and she was hurt too. Needless to say, I rushed over. When I got there, he was waiting for me, and that's where the fight started." Minato continued to go over the rest of it, in full detail. He left nothing out. Moments later, he was finally finished.

Mitsuru remained sat in the chair for a few, carefully processing and pondering what all this could mean. Surely there was a larger scale to this encounter, ulterior motives involving a grand scheme. She had a strong sinking suspicion, that Minato wasn't finished with his shadow just yet, concerning, to say the least, but she had faith in Minato, he always seemed to find a way to go above and beyond every time, even in the most dire of situations. Regardless, Mitsuru was still determined to find her own share of answers.

[{ ♕ }] - "I see...I'm relieved that you were able to bring Yamagishi back and that you're still here with us. Regarding the shadow. At first, I thought that this situation was similar to Narukami and his friends with the way they awakened their powers. Yet, you were still able to use your Persona, so we can rule out any potential link to that. Still, it's quite concerning to think that a shadow could be that intelligent. let alone, enough to put together a plan to trap someone." She's quiet for a few moments before standing up from her seat. Before Mitsuru could say anything else, Minato stopped her by speaking.

[{ 🦋}] - "Mitsuru-san, there's one last thing I should tell you. I was going to let her tell you herself, but I wanted to give you a heads-up. It's the reason Fuuka is so down. For whatever reason, Fuuka lost Juno, and she's worried she's going to be removed from the team. I don't know how it happened, but all I know, is that my shadow beat her up pretty bad.. not just physically either..."

The sentence stops Mitsuru in her tracks, a single clicked heel as she stands in place to listen and take in what she has been told. It made sense, so that's why Fuuka looked so distraught. While her not having a Persona was a bit of a big deal, Mitsuru couldn't even dream of letting Fuuka go, she was one of her close friends, and also one of the best handywomen she knew, especially when it came to technology, removing her from the team completely would be absurd.

[{ ♕ }] - "Juno is gone...? That's horrible, and also very strange. I've never heard a case where a Persona disappeared from its user's mind entirely... I fear that your shadow may have somehow been responsible for it. Remove her? Unheard of. I would never remove her from the team. If it came down to it though, I would just put her in another part of the team, one that is good for her natural talent. Anyway, thank you for your report Minato-san. It was very informative, once I speak with Yamagishi, I'll try and see what I can do to help."

After the discussion ended, and on cue, the sound of footsteps, could be heard outside the door, Minato had hoped that at least, she would be able to eat, she needed food after what happened Upon the door opening, Minato gave Fuuka a small smile, while Mitsuru gave a slight one as she took back her card. Now that Minato had explained, she understood that losing Juno wasn't Fuuka's fault, there was just something more to it. Just as Mitsuru had theorized, it was most likely his shadow that was the cause of it. Minato just hoped he would have enough recovery time when the time to face him again.

[{ ♕ }] - "Ah, Yamagishi. I've just finished speaking with him, so if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you now and get you're account on what happened, please do include as much detail as possible, the more I know, the better I can be of assistance."

[dxfiedfxte]

[{ 🦋 }] - "I've dealt with almost every type of malevolent spirit or evil demonic force you can think of in my career, and there's one type of evil, that I'll always hate dealing with the most, worse than any other demonic entity." There's a long pause. But he already has his answer.

[{ 🦋 }] - "...Movie talkers. The most foul of all evils. Seriously, some people need to know when to respectfully, shut up."

[dxfiedfxte]

[{ 🦋 }] - "Went to see The Nun 2 tonight, and uh... it was okay. It could have been much better. it's like they copied and pasted scenes involving the nun from the Conjuring movies and just changed a few things. to make it appear different. I expected more, but hey, at least we're getting a Conjuring 4."

[dxfiedfxte]

For several months now, Minato had heard many things about the man named Marusari Kenjima, a television crooked executive that was the owner of the television network titled Taeshimo Entertainment, they aired a lot of relatity shows. One day, Minato came across the episode of a ghost hunting show that was an original series from within the network, which was already enough to cause the bluenette paranormal investigator have his suspicions on his credibility. Curious, Minato watched it, only to discover that most of the evidence they claimed to captured was far too over the top and dramatic, and that was more than enough to tell him that this television show was a complete fraud.

In the beginning, Minato just wrote it off as another fake show that would eventually be exposed for its lies, as what always tended to happen to those types of shows, unfortunately, it was the exact opposite. Instead of being revealed as being fake, people were actually starting to believe it. What made it more sickening, was that, with the shows apparently growing in popularity, they immediately started releasing merchandise to make a profit of it, T-shirts, sweaters, hats, beanies, even bags -- a clear indication that this show's entire purpose, was to fool its audience, just to make a fortune of it.

Taking a deep dive into their history thanks to the help of his close friend Fuuka Yamagishi, Minato got access to a piece of electronic paperwork about their sales charts from the month of April when it started getting popular, right up into as recently as September of this year. In that entire span of months, Marusari made a total of fifty-five million yen from all the merchandise, that kind of thing absolutely pissed Minato off.

It was not only a big insult to the actual paranormal investigative profession when real investigators worked their asses off just to make a name for themselves in the community that worked so hard to gain a strong reputation and reliable credibility. It was also a major insult to the people who fell for their lies, and l gave their money to him.

The guy had a lot of nerve in asking Minato to join him three months ago, like hell, there was no way someone with a genuine passion for this would ever work with a fraud like him, he was a stain on this industry, and he needed to be stopped. Minato didn't think he'd ever have to deal with him again, or so he had thought. A few days ago, an organization that called themselves The Garden, or Garden for short.

The paranormal investigator had never even known such an organization existed, so being contacted by them was completely unexpected. Apparently, Marusari was on some sort of hit list, and since he was the only public figure who had ever been personally approached by their target, they wanted to use his connection to that man, to help them complete his execution -- and they very direct about his fate with him. Minato wasn't the type of person who agreed with senseless killing, even for a scammer like Marusari. Regardless, considering this group was clearly operated under the radar, Minato didn't think refusing was much of an option, if the world didn't know about them, who knew what would happen in saying no, so, much to his dismay, he agreed.

Fast forward four days, and that brought him to today. Minato was given a specific location to meet, and here he was, wearing long slim fit pants, and a black long-sleeved shirt, his long blue jacket over top, the split ends blowing in the gentle breeze along with the teal blue scarf on his neck in tune. Upon his arrival, he was met with a woman who matched the description he had been given in the email received two days ago. Stopping at the table, Minato nods at her confirmation and takes a seat across from her at the table. Once seated, he's given what sounds like her code name.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Thorn Princess huh? If it's cool, I'm gonna call you Thorn for short. You can call me Minato, but think nothing of it, I'm just really a fan of being too formal since I have to do it far more often than I'd like."

He admits. Being seen as a celebrity meant he had to keep a proper public image. When living life in the spotlight, even one small mistake could cost you your entire life's work, making your career crash and burn in the process.

[{ 🦋 }] - "No problem. Yeah, I remember the details. I just have to find an opportunity to get you in close contact with him so you can make your move. I have his card right here, so I guess I'll give him a call. This guy really wants me on his network, so I'm pretty sure he won't say no, then we'll go from there." Minato adds, pulling out his smartphone, Marusari's card shortly after before pulling up the keypad on his device then promptly dialing the numbers as it began to ring, hopefully, he would pick up.

It only took a minute or two before the excited rough voice of the older man answered the phone, Minato could tell right away that the man was pleased to receive the call. "Well well, Mister Arisato, what a pleasant surprise. I didn't think I'd be hearing from you again. So then, how can I help you this evening?"

Minato knew he had to make his reason for calling sound realistic, so he thought of the first thing that came to his mind, it was a little cliche, but he was confident that it would work.

[{ 🦋 }] - "I haven't announced it publicly yet, but I fired my other two co-investigators. I thought about you're offer, and you were right. It is about time I set out on my own and make some real money. So I accept, is there a place we can meet up. I wanna make my statement tomorrow so the sooner we can get this rolling, the better." He lies, and thankfully, it seemed to work.

"Haha, I knew you were the type of young man who has money in his eyes. People don't care about real ghosts anymore, it's all about show business, not passion. I'm hosting a dinner party at my summer home. It starts in an hour an a half. I'll text you the details and address, I gotta add you to the guest list tonight. See you later." With that, he hung up.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Ugh, I really hate that prick. Anyway, it sounds like he's hosting a dinner party in an hour, he invited me, and wants to talk business at some point. So here's my plan. We'll go to the party and take part, blend in a bit then you can take him out when we go to his office. You can come as my talent agent. How does that sound?"

@dxfiedfxte || Plotted Starter - A Joint Mission.

Yor Briar was good at her job. Killing a target was second nature to her. But there was one aspect of her assassin job that didn't come so easily - the social aspect. Surprisingly, killing people meant getting close to them and Yor just wasn't good at the whole "making friends" thing.

She nervously fidgeted with the teaspoon she'd used to stir the sugar into her coffee. The Shopkeeper had arranged a meeting with a man who had a connection to the target and in order to get the information she needed she had to work alongside this other person. Her eyes darted toward the cafe's entrance whenever the bell above the door chimed as if death himself may walk through at any moment.

She didn't have to wait long. A younger man fitting the description the Shopkeeper had given her wandered in not ten minutes after she'd sat down. Yor stood and waved him over.

"Y-You must be the contact," she began, offering a polite smile. "I'm sure my employer has told you the details of my assignment, but on behalf of Garden and its members, I'd like to express our deepest gratitude at your decision to help. You may call me Thorn Princess."

[dxfiedfxte]

[{ 🦋 }] - "What's up with this purple Grimace shake thing? I've seen so many people drinking it today. Did I miss a national holiday or something?"

He is very confused about this new thing, so many people have been walking by with that exact shake in their hands, it didn't make an ounce of sense. Just what was all the rage about these drinks? Just when he thought he was very in tune with society and all its new trends, he was thrown a curveball and now nothing made much sense.

He hasn't been to Mcdonald's enough to remember all the mascot's names, especially since it was pretty much just Ronald Mcdonald now.

[{ 🦋 }] - "...I kind of want one now..."

[dxfiedfxte]

@oraclememehacker || Thread continue/move from old editor || continued from here:🦋

✦✦ - Futaba

“Oh don’t you worry Minato-san, I’m not underestimating you at all. Remember, I’m a navi after all.” And being a navi meant that she was ale to see all his latent abilities and powers after all. Not everything of course. She wouldn’t know that he once had the abilities of the universe that made him theoretically more powerful than even Akira was going to be at the end of his journey. Of course, all of that was massive spoilers that she didn’t know was going to happen. Still, she did see that he had a massive potential when it came to his power. It was interesting to say the least.

“When I’m in my navi I can see everything about you and the enemies. Without that I wouldn’t be able to properly buff and debuff anyone, along with hacking the metaverse to be able to change the tide of battle for everyone.” And now she saw that her beef bowl was getting delivered to her along with the hot tea. Since, after all, one beef bowl was going to be so much easier to make then 25. Minato was probably gonna have his bowls staggered over time so that way it would be easier to deliver. She said thank you to the waiter and then looked at the meal.

“Oh, I love me a good beef bowl. This is no Leblanc curry but beef bowls always get me extremely motivated.” And she started to chow down on her bowl with chop sticks and would take a small sip of her hot tea. Just the sensations were relaxing and soothing, considering she was feeling quite anxious at the beginning of this all. Being in Akihibara all on her own like that was probably not a great idea, but she had to eventually learn to live on her own. Otherwise she was going to be a neet forever. “Hopefully your endless beef bowls will start to arrive soon.”

[{ 🦋 }] - "Good, because underestimating someone can be a pretty big mistake. I should know, because I've done it before in the past."

While Minato didn't have the full power of the Wild Card at his disposal and had a limit of six Persona, it did not mean he was weak, quite the opposite. Several times Minato had been praised by other Persona users that despite being limited to six, Minato didn't let that stop him from being an extremely reliable ally in combat, it was almost like he didn't have a limit at all. Even if he couldn't obtain anymore new Persona, he was still able to temporarily fuse the persona already in his arsenal, in a pair, two by two or even three by three and that was his only other way of acquiring a new Persona with new power elements.

At the beginning, he was admittedly a little concerned when he first found about this, worried that these limitations would greatly affect his abilities in combat, but he was thankfully able to adjust and find a way to still be a very reliable ally in a battle, the limit didn't define him, he would always be a member of the Shadow Operatives and that wouldn't change, six persona was all he really needed, especially since the six he had were some of the most powerful persona, Messiah being his ultimate weapon alongside Thanatos.

A few nods as she explains her extent of her navigational abilities, though he was certain she had even more navigation prowess considering the other navigator he'd met during his time in Yasoinaba during the whole P-1 Climax event that had drew him and his friends to reunite. Rise Kujikawa was very talented, and even had abilities in her navigation that surpassed Fuuka's, though it didn't mean she was any less reliable, it just made sense that every new generation of Persona-users would be much more improved than how it was during his prime, when he was first thrown into the world of Persona and Shadow's during his high school days.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Yeah, my team has a navigator too. Though it sounds like you can do a much more than just a basic scan and analysis."

After his response, they were politely interrupted by the waiter who was bringing Futaba her food, fresh off the stove, filing the dining area with a delicious aroma that seemed to expand throughout the whole restaurant. Nodding and smiling at Futaba's thanking him for the delivery to their table, he turns to Minato telling him that his first ten beef bowls of the twenty-five will be brought to him shortly, to which Minato thanked him in return as the young man bowed and disappeared behind the kitchen double doors.

Turning back to Futaba to continue the conversation, he gives a nod in agreement, the food at Café LeBlanc was pretty good, the curry especially. Minato was definitely a fan of them, though in his opinion regarding, beef bowls, it was back in his home town at a place called Umiushi, that would always be the best from his perspective, he could still recall how that place was always packed with a full-house -- a testament to their reputation of having the best beef bowls in all of Japan's island-cities like Tatsumi Port Island.

[{ 🦋 }] - "I gotta agree, LeBlanc definitely knows their way with a curry dish. I love beef bowls too, personally, the best place for a perfect quality beef bowl, is at this place called Umiushi back in my hometown. If you ever get the chance to travel to Tatsumi Port Island, definitely make a stop at Umiushi, just call ahead and book a table, because that place is always packed. Though this place has some good beef bowls too, apparently the first ten of my order will be here shortly, and man I can't wait, been a little whole since I had a nice delicious beef bowl. I'm gonna have to check out the dessert menu after my twenty-five are finished."